Yasurakana,
I am writing to inform you that Shikou is doing well. He has gotten used to the mortal world and has already begun his reaper duties. Although he is stuck in his reclusive shell, I will help him come to terms with his place in the world and also with your eventual passing.
He has formed a bond with my infant son, I have sensed it. With time it will grow into something more, I am most certain, but you can rest easy knowing that your child is loved and will never be alone.
Lord Shishima
Shikou's bedroom was much larger than expected. A single bed was more than enough, but there was also a bookshelf to the left, a human-sized replica of Michelangelo's David to the right, a copy of Alexandre Cabanel's The Fallen Angel painting hanging on a wall above the bed and one of those
peculiar screens which mortals called TV installed on the opposite wall. The former Count Kage was an avid collector of European art pieces, so much so that almost every room of his grand mansion contained at least one such piece. From the looks of it, King Shishima had indeed inherited those tastes on some level, as sometimes Shikou caught him admiring those artworks for minutes on end.
The young reaper sighed. He set down his scythe, took off his hood and laid down to rest on the bed, staring at the ceiling. So many thoughts plagued his mind. Where was his mother? Was she safe? Was she still alive even? Would he ever live up to her legacy? There were still many duties he had to fulfill besides comforting the dying and ensuring their souls passed peacefully into the afterlife. Although they could not fully read one's fate, reapers did have a good idea of when mortals would die, and as such they were also tasked with comforting those on the verge of committing suicide. Paradoxical as it sounded, reapers had to ensure no life ended prematurely, as it meant less work for them. There was also the added bonus of helping mortals understand the value of being alive. Shikou had witnessed his mother bring back hope to humans with mere whispered words. Would he muster the same empathy?
A smile crept up his face as he recalled the warmth and patience with which Yasurakana raised him. Even though she was dying, she still devoted herself fully to him and those souls that needed her. A truly selfless figure, her lessons would linger in his heart for eternity to come. Reaching into his robe, he took out an old and dusted violin, the sole memento from his mother. It reminded him of a simpler time, when she would teach him songs and read him stories of kings and princes long gone. Before she brought him to witness the reaping of souls, before truly important lessons clouded his mind and took away his childhood.
Shikou got up and started playing the instrument, recalling those few moments of respite when he tried to comfort his mother with music, an attempt to pay back her undying love and devotion. The melody was a lullaby, the same one she had sung to him in his first century of life. It was a slow and mournful tune, in D Minor, but beneath its sadness there was a hint of love, the same love he shared with his mother, the same love he wished to share with the souls of the departed. If only more knew of that love, perhaps there would be less wars plaguing both the mortal and spirit worlds.
"Shikou..." a hissed voice interrupted him and he turned to see Shishima watching him in the doorway.
"M-my king, I'm so sorry! I should've known that I was disturbing the silence with-"
"No, you were not," Shishima cut him off. "I came here because of your strong emotions and became witness to a great gift. Will you... come to my office and play your violin?"
Shikou gasped, taken aback by the humble request. "Your Highness... it would be an honor!"
Taking control over the sealing corps and the army proved much easier once Antoma Tan Gendo's spell was undone. As clarity settled once more in the minds of the populace, they were confronted with the harsh reality at hand: the kingdom's last founder and pillar of knowledge was dead and their young queen had abdicated. As they realized that Koushishi's return was inevitable, some protested, others cheered. Views were still divided in the stability VS conquest argument. Thus it was easy for Sazansho's and Rufu's slimy tongues to turn the majority opinion in Koushishi's favor. Before they knew it, the crowd was siding with them, silencing the shrinking minority of protesters.
Their returns were hailed as a great victory, both Shishima and Hyouma were denounced, and soon they were all cheering for a renewed war against the Dawn Kingdom. But before they would begin preparations for said war, the sealing corps and army joined forces on that night to hunt down a common enemy: the former queen. An investigation was conducted under Sazansho's strict supervision and in less than an hour they managed to track down her aura, leading them into the stormy desert.
Far ahead, Hyouma was already braving the terrible sandstorms with the Oni King and Akamaru by her side. Even with her emotions turned off, certain worries persisted. She could not rule out the possibility of Koushishi discovering their escape plan and sending a squad to ambush them in the woods. Tyrants such as her always crushed their competition even after taking the throne.
Back when she cozied up to her, Hyouma was privy to the horrific tales of how Koushishi poisoned her three sisters to ensure that Akushishi specifically picked her hand in marriage. Then, on the night of their crowning, she personally visited her mother in her private bedchambers and poisoned her as well. She justified the matricide as disposing of a possible manipulator, even if there was no evidence that the former queen intended to use her children as pawns. But Koushishi definitely sought to use both Shishima and Hyouma as pawns, most likely for a formal passing of the crown, should the political climate force her to make such a move. Perhaps if Hyouma had been as ruthless, her position would have been secured for centuries to come.
By the time they were halfway through their desert journey, a magic circle suddenly glowed around them. Hyouma immediately recognized the symbols belonging to the sealing corps and shouted:
"Jump, it's a trap!"
The oni did as told and they all escaped the binding circle before its magic could activate. Turning back, they saw a volley of arrows falling through the sandstorm. The Oni King and Akamaru ran to shield Hyouma, the former shattering the arrows with his bare fists while the latter opted to melt them with his fire breath. When the attacks ceased, they saw both members of the army and the sealing corps approaching at rapid speed. Behind the first row of youkai there was a golden chariot manned by Rufu and Sazansho. Just a few hours ago they were prisoners with a bounty on their heads, how quickly the tables turned as they regained their positions of power.
"Fools! Traitors! You will never lay your filthy claws on our true queen!" the Oni King bravely declared. He took out his kanabo and rushed ahead, clobbering a dozen soldiers to death. Akamaru followed his father's lead.
Hyouma barred out his metallic claws, staring at the battle. They were outnumbered, but if she ran away there was no doubt that eventually her protectors would fall and the pursuers would catch up to her before she reached the southeastern woods. Thankfully the desert storm shrouded her, she would be able to aid the oni in battle and hopefully even the odds a little.
The fight was bloody, many lives were lost on Sazansho's and Rufu's side, yet the two remained stoic up their chariot as the pained screams of their men were swallowed by the desert storm. When the moon's crimson rays shifted towards the horizon, indicating the break of dawn, it became obvious that their side was losing. When the last soldier fell, the Oni King and his son stood proud and covered in blood, surrounded by a pile of unconscious bodies. As they both caught their breaths, Hyouma's voice echoed from the desert storm:
"We're going, now!"
As if on cue, Sazansho's anti-magic fire and Rufu's magic claw attacks assaulted them, managing to wound Akamaru.
"Son!" shouted the Oni King. He saw that both daiyoukai got off the chariot and were taking slow, calculated steps like predators.
"Go on! Go without me!" Akamaru urged them. "I'll deal with these clowns and join you soon!"
"No, you stand no-"
"Time is not on our side," Hyouma interrupted the Oni King.
Biting his lip, the reluctant father sighed in concession. Giving his son an approving nod, he joined Hyouma as they both made their escape through the sandstorm.
"Follow them, I'll deal with the brat," Sazansho calmly advised his friend. Rufu backed down, disappearing in the sandstorm. "You should've kept your head down and accepted your role as my servant, boy. This time I will not be as lenient with you!"
"Turning me into a sex slave was no leniency!" the tired Akamaru said, taking out his deck.
"Oh yes it was, but this time I'll do much worse!" Sazansho threatened back as he accepted the challenge.
Shikou's solemn and mournful violin melodies filled Shishima's office on that early afternoon. Despite their somber nature, Borof did find them catchy as he caught himself humming along while dusting his master's bookshelves. Between having practice duels and teaching him how to fit in with mortals, Borof had to admit that the reaper kid was growing on him.
Shishima sat at his desk, staring at a mountain of paperwork and trying to take in the recent events. The order he worked so hard to establish in the Twilight Kingdom was falling apart, Hyouma of all daiyoukai was desperate for his help, Fukurokuju was on the verge of death, the conspirators knew of his hideout on Earth and Nekohana was their first victim. These tragedies happened because he let his guard down. Moving forward, he had to ensure everyone was under protection before he could devise a plan of attack on his enemies. He hated being pushed in a defensive position, he hated feeling weak, but for everyone's sake he had to brave on and find a way.
Shishima let out a small chuckle; Hajime's heroics were definitely rubbing off on him. The best course of action was erecting a barrier that would block all dimensional portals from opening anywhere in the universe. If he managed to isolate his dimension from the rest, there was no way anyone from the spirit world would attempt another strike at his family or loved ones. As long as he had control over said barrier, Shikou's duty of helping souls cross into the afterlife would not be hindered. He recalled a chapter on advanced barrier magic while skimming through one of Fukurokuju's books. Good. That meant he had enough reading material to pass the afternoon.
Before embarking on his new intellectual pursuit, Shishima took an empty sheet of paper and a pen. Then and there, he decided that he would leave Hanashishi a letter in which he would explain his actions. If something ever happened to him and he never got to see his son grow up, he wanted him to know that he no longer was a complete monster...
Akamaru and Sazansho set their cards on the dueling tables and deployed their shields as the desert storm calmed down with the break of dawn.
"I summon Kangoku Nyudo." A red oni with a flowing white beard appeared by Akamaru's side. He was dressed as a dungeon warden. "I end my turn and Kangoku Nyudo returns a shield to my hand without shield trigger."
"I summon Elfi-1, Tree." An anthropomorphic tree with a rotten white trunk, golden leaves and three branches shaped like arms arose by Sazansho's side. "All of my Distas cost 1 mana less."
"Distas?"
"Yes, the race supporting the Dispectors. You will soon find out more!"
"I summon Gashadodokuro, Oni of "Tamagari"." A giant skeleton wearing a samurai's helmet, shoulder pads and with two katanas sheathed behind its back appeared in the battle zone. "Kangoku Nyudo, break his shield!" The dungeon warden oni fired a lava ball from his left hand which melted an opposing shield. "I end my turn and Kangoku Nyudo breaks another shield of mine as well."
"Removing your own shields so that you can achieve Onitime faster? That is quite the foolish strategy and you will soon pay for taking such a risk - I summon Bronze-1, Savage with 2 mana and ramp. Then I summon another Bronze-1 for the same cost and ramp again. Lastly, I summon another Elfi-1!"
Akamaru took a step back as he witnessed his opponent's small army consisting of two trees and two anthropomorphic horses who each wielded a shield and a spear. Sazansho was abusing mana ramp and cost reduction to make a grand move on his next turn. Akamaru had to ensure there would be no next turn. He began:
"At the start of my turn, Gashadodokuro returns a shield to my hand without shield trigger. I now have two shields and you have four, Onitime has activated! I summon The Tripper, Shadow Speed." A ghostly biker riding a robotic motorcycle with four floating fists surrounding the vehicle rode into the battle zone. "I attack with The Tripper and Invasion! I evolve him into Redzone Formula, Overlordless Invasion!" The biker was enveloped by a red aura and transformed into a white robot with motorcycle tires for fists and feet and a pair of jets attached to its back. "Redzone Formula, double break his shields!" The robot dashed ahead and tore through two shields at high speed.
"Guard Strike, I-"
"No you don't! During Redzone Formula's attack you can't use Guard Strikes!" Akamaru interrupted him and Sazansho cursed under his breath. "At the end of the attack, I untap Redzone Formula and destroy the top card." The robot disappeared in a small explosion, but the ghostly biker reappeared from its smoke. "Gashadodokuro can now attack due to Onitime! Go, break his final shields, and since this is my second attack I also summon Valchuris, Dragon Armored!" A trio of mice wielding repair tools appeared by Akamaru's side as the skeleton unsheathed its katanas and hacked away the opponent's remaining shields.
"Shield trigger, I summon The Clock, Ragnarok and end your turn!" A muscular humanoid with spiky blue hair and two golden clock arms sticking out of his chest joined Sazansho's army of creatures and fired a wave upon Akamaru's creatures, freezing them all in place. "Aha-ahahahahaha, it's time to put an end to this farce! Sasagale!"
"Sasagale?" the confused oni repeated.
"Each of my Distas creatures have an effect called Sasagale. With it, I can sacrifice them when summoning a Dispector and reduce its cost. So, I'll destroy both my Elfi-1 and both my Bronze-1 to reduce my next Dispector's cost by a total of 4 mana! Now arise, king of the Electrofused Dispectors - Vol-Val-8, Forbidden Dragon King!" His four creatures each vanished in a small explosion and from their smoke and ashes arose a one-eyed robot who was forcefully fused with a horned dragon through electricity.
"What in the world is that thing supposed to be?" Akamaru wondered aloud at the sight of the mechanical abomination.
"Your demise, fool! Ex Life, I gain a new shield. Vol-Val-8, attack and I check the top five cards of my deck, add these two to my hand and put the rest to the bottom of my deck. Then I destroy all creatures with power 6000 or less!" The dragon's head spat fire upon the battle zone, destroying The Clock on its owner's side, as well as Kangoku Nyudo, The Tripper and Valchuris on the opposing side. "Break his final shields!" The robot fired a beam from its one eye which tore through the remaining shields. "And now, since four or more creatures were destroyed this turn, I gain an extra turn!"
"An extra turn?!"
"Aha-ahahahahaha, I told you I'd do much worse, didn't I? I cast Eternal Premiums, Secret Forbidden Dragon. With its effect I bring out Disnomenon from my mana zone and ramp one." A mechanical preying mantis materialized by Sazansho's side. "Then I force battle Vol-Val-8 with your Gashadodokuro." The skeleton samurai meet its demise at the Dispector's blasts. "And lastly, all of my creatures can't be blocked this turn! Disnomenon, todomeda!"
"Not so fast - Oniend! I cast Hyakki no Jaoumon!" A gate with six glowing purple kanji floating in front of its doors and Jaouga's sharp head painted in the middle arose in front of Akamaru as the top four cards of his deck went into the graveyard: Kodamanma GS, Gil Gil Doll, Bakurohoshi, Oni of "Musabori", Anyaku Yasha and Jaouga, Oniga Rakshasa. "I revive Jaouga, Oniga Rakshasa and force battle him with Disnomenon!" The gates opened and a white oni with a sharp head and weapons attached to his legs emerged and lashed at the mechanical insect.
"You can't! With Disnomenon's Justdiver effect, it can't be chosen by you or attacked until the start of my next turn!" The preying mantis avoided the oni's punches and dashed ahead towards the actual opponent.
"Then Oniend again - I send Balad Vi Na Shura to the bottom of my deck to prevent the loss!" A flaming spear with three eyes painted onto its blade descended from the skies, blocking the insect's sharp claws.
"Vol-Val-8, attack and Attack Chance: I cast another Eternal Premiums for no cost! With its effect I bring out another Disnomenon from my mana zone and ramp again. Then I force battle Vol-Val-8 with Jaouga!" The white oni was crushed by a pair of metallic fists. "And to pull the curtains on this boring play... Vol-Val-8, todomeda!"
Akamaru and his deck were blasted away by a powerful laser. His crash in the sand was none too pleasant. Before he could attempt to get up, he was assaulted by a new torrent of blue fire. His magic was fully canceled and whatever strength his body had was sapped away. When the attack ceased, he opened his eyes and the last thing he saw was Sazansho swinging a katana at him, decapitating him.
Triumphant, the salamander daiyoukai stared at his enemy's dissolving body with malicious glee while his subordinates were slowly getting back on their feet.
"Everyone in the sealing corps is to return with me to the capital palace! We shall inform the queen of our great victory! Each army member is to follow General Rufu to the southeastern woods and aid him in capturing the impostor who dared pose as queen!" Sazansho ordered as he got back on the chariot, eager to return home and wash the sand off of his uniform.
Shishima set down his pen and read the letter in silence. After giving it much thought, he decided that it conveyed his emotions well enough, considering how bad he was at showing them in person. Then he finally spoke:
"Shikou, do you care about my son Hanashishi?"
The reaper ceased playing his violin and turned to regard his master. Knowing full well that Shishima could sense emotions, he decided to be upfront:
"I admit to sneaking up on your son back at the Shirayama mansion. We... became friends."
Shishima nodded. "That's good. Would you like to go back regularly to the Shirayama mansion and be by Hanashishi's side as he grows up?" Shikou's jaw dropped at such a proposition. "If you agree to this, I will ask that you keep your identity concealed until Hanashishi is old enough to understand his own powers."
"My king, I would be greatly honored to be by the prince's side!" Shikou earnestly responded, bowing as a sign of gratitude. "Does this mean that I am tasked with protecting him?"
"More or less, I just wish to know that you two have each other's backs."
With a single hand wave, Shishima dismissed Borof and Shikou from his office. Once left alone, he put his letter in an envelope which he would leave with Hajime. The truth would be revealed one day.
Hanashishi, my dear son,
I know how difficult it was growing up without knowing about your true heritage. This is one of the many regrets I have since that fateful night when our family was torn apart. But if you get to read these words one day, then my sacrifices will not be in vain.
I trust that by this point you will already know my identity. There will be many stories out there depicting me as a monster, perhaps the greatest evil there ever was. Know that there is much truth to them, I have long since accepted and bore my wicked actions with pride. For the majority of my life I have walked the path of ultimate power; by now I do not know if there is another path for me. I seek not repentance for my actions, nor will I beg forgiveness from anyone.
My father once taught me that seeking power for its own sake only brings forth destruction and loneliness; but seeking power for the sake of others grants a fulfillment few will understand. Judge my actions as you will, just know that the reason I keep walking this lonely path of mine is for your sake.
You were born during wartime. This war unfortunately decimated our family, but I will keep fighting as long as I know that I have made a safe world for you. Which is why I beg of you to not follow in my footsteps. Do not seek power, glory or titles. Live your life the way you want, enjoy the freedoms given to you by man's world and be happy. I will never ask any more of you.
Forevermore your father,
Shishima